


energy (beneath my feet)

by okamiwind



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: First Kiss, M/M, Strippers & Strip Clubs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:08:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23449783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/okamiwind/pseuds/okamiwind
Summary: junmyeon's got a job to do. baekhyun makes it impossible.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Kim Junmyeon | Suho
Comments: 37
Kudos: 150





	energy (beneath my feet)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [zvirk77](https://archiveofourown.org/users/zvirk77/gifts).



Junmyeon goes to work thinking about one person in particular.

In the dressing room, he goes through his motions. The club he dances for, _Red Moon_ ,is not a glamorous club, but he tries to inject glamour into it anyway. He pats cream blush onto his cheeks and across the tip of his nose to give himself a youthful look. He lines the corners of his eyes, smokes out the black until it looks feathered and foggy. He pencils on some freckles, and he brushes his hair back out of his face before lining his lips with a clear gloss. There are a few dancers who do makeup like him, a few that who do makeup even lighter than him, and a few who don't do makeup at all.

 _Red Moon_ is a gay club, but women still come by. Junmyeon wrinkles his nose, tries to ignore it. It's not that he doesn't like women. It's just that he doesn't like _dancing_ for them. Especially bachelorettes.

He finishes up his preparations, sips at his water, and he waits for his shift to start.

He checks his phone. Wednesday. Junmyeon sighs. He's been working a lot of weekdays lately, and Baekhyun usually doesn't come on weekdays. On top of that, the tips are worse on weekdays. He's getting by, of course, and he's saving every dime, but he can't pretend like more money wouldn't help.

The door opens, and the manager pokes his head in.

"Hey," the manager shouts at him, a clipboard in his hands. "Let's go."

Junmyeon sighs out, and he stands up, goes out onto the floor.

He walks around the floor, and he scans the patrons. He is wearing the dress code for the evening, a pair of tight blue jeans and black boots and no shirt. He's gotten used to it at this point, but when he first began, he can't pretend like it didn't feel strange. The self-marketing aspect _also_ took some getting used to, but he's acclimated well, he thinks. He's a bit more confident in his body now, especially now that he's taken upon himself to start lifting. His chest, arms, stomach, and legs are lined with thin muscle, and while he's certainly the smallest guy in the lineup, it doesn't stop people from wanting him. 

Junmyeon stops by an older man, sitting alone at a table. He's got a baseball hat resting next to his glass of whisky. Junmyeon assumes that he's pissed about having to take it off, so he runs his hand along the guy's shoulders as he walks around him, cocking his hip to the side to match the tilt in his head as he looks down at the man.

"Hi there," Junmyeon smiles sweetly. "How are you?"

"Where's the other one?" the man asks.

Junmyeon blinks, perturbed. "Who are you looking for, honey?"

"Not you," the man says, so Junmyeon cuts his losses, books it out of there.

The man smelled like chewing tobacco anyway. 

There is another dancer on stage, so a majority of the customers in attendance are throwing singles at _him_ , paying attention to _him_. Girls are shouting and taking pictures, more of themselves than of the stripper taking his pants off, which Junmyeon always finds funny. Junmyeon mingles for an hour or so, engages a couple different men in long-winded, flirtatious conversation in an attempt to get them to buy a lap dance, but it doesn't go anywhere.

Weeknights suck. 

"Hey," the manager calls, and Junmyeon looks over at him. "You're up next."

Junmyeon breathes in deeply. At the very least, he'll make some money there. He goes to the back room, rummages through his gym bag, and he puts on his tearaways.

In Junmyeon's estimation, his numbers are slower paced and thus more erotic. He doesn't really go for the overwhelming, the quick, the shocking. He prefers to be understated, and that might be why he's not as successful as some of the other dancers. Still, it doesn't mean dick to him. He gets enough money to make it by, and that's what counts. That's what he's in it for. 

Well, that and one other thing... 

The lights are hot, the music is slow when he steps on stage, and the people cheer as he begins to dance.

When he twists his body, rocks his hips, he imagines he is in bed with someone. With Baekhyun. He closes his eyes and his lips part, and he turns, sticks out his ass as he bends over, running his hands down over his thighs, his calves. He pretends like someone is behind him, like Baekhyun is taking his hips in his hands, like they're one step away from fucking. He gets a raucous cheer as he snaps up, pulling his undershirt from his torso, and he flings it over his head. It's then that the money begins to flow. He throws his ass around in a tight circle, once to the left and once to the right before he pulls his pants from his body. The dollars flutter through the air like confetti. He falls to his knees, and he twists his face in pleasure, imagining Baekhyun's body against his own. His abdomen flexes as he rolls his body, sweat lining his muscles. The lights beat down on him, and he can see stars behind his eyes. He runs his hands down over his stomach, rubs the sweat into his skin as he looks into the crowd, searching through all the many eyes.

Suddenly, he sees the one set he was hoping to see.

Baekhyun is dressed like he came straight from work. He's sitting back in his chair, legs spread wide, a twenty dollar bill gripped in his right hand. His left hand rests on the high point of his thigh, suit pants stretched thin over the swell, and his gaze is burning holes through Junmyeon's body. He is beautiful, so fucking hot that it makes Junmyeon want to scream, and Junmyeon blinks wetly as he realizes that Baekhyun is smiling at him, daring him to do more.

Junmyeon flips onto his hands and knees, his back arching as he drops to the floor, grinding his body lewdly. He goes slow like a first fuck, grinding like stuttered thrusts, and he stares into Baekhyun's eyes as he does it. Baekhyun stares back at him, a challenge, and Junmyeon would like nothing more than to rise to it.

He's filling out the front of his briefs well by the time the song ends, and he collects his money with a secret smile, thinking about the guaranteed money he'll get from Baekhyun, thinking about the _attention_ he'll get. Sometimes, that's even better than the money.

He walks over to Baekhyun after his song, money folded up neatly and stuck down the front of his underwear. It is a wanton picture, but that's what they come for, right?

"Hey," Junmyeon says, breath coming hard. "I didn't—"

"Didn't think you'd see me?" Baekhyun asks, tilting his chin up. A tease. "Yeah, you haven't been working much lately."

"I work plenty," Junmyeon says, finding that easier than the truth, that their schedules just haven't lined up. "Missed you, though."

"Yeah, I figured," Baekhyun grins, cocky and slick. "Let me get a dance."

Junmyeon's heart glows inside his body, hot and desperate. "Yeah, let me just...," and he gestures back to the dressing room.

"Nah," Baekhyun says. "I want you like this. Just like this."

Junmyeon's stomach churns with lust as Baekhyun looks him over. "I can't dance out here in just... this."

"Then take me back to a private room," Baekhyun taunts, and he tilts his head to the side, smiling up at Junmyeon like they're talking about the weather and not a hundred dollars in Junmyeon's hand.

"How many songs?" Junmyeon asks, and he feels the heat in his face, blaring like alarms.

"Hm." His eyes slip over Junmyeon's body like a wet touch. "Three."

Junmyeon bites his lip. "Are you sure? That's a lot of money."

"Are you turning down a lot of money?"

Junmyeon rolls his eyes, and he takes him by the hand, pulling him through the dredge of humanity. The private rooms are nicer, a little bit more luxurious. The only person he likes taking back here is Baekhyun.

The love seat is bright red, and the walls are deep wine. Junmyeon directs Baekhyun to the chair, sitting him down by pressing on his shoulders. The music queues on automatically, and Junmyeon climbs onto Baekhyun, straddling him.

Baekhyun looks between their bodies, and Junmyeon thinks that maybe for once, he's managed to shock him. When he looks up, though, his eyes are glittering.

"So, how've you been, baby?" Baekhyun asks.

Junmyeon whimpers, the pet name dripping down his front like honey.

"I'm supposed to be dancing," Junmyeon says, and he tries to focus on the rolling of his hips, his ass pressing against Baekhyun.

"I wanna know, though. And I'm paying, right?"

"I'm okay," Junmyeon answers, and he takes Baekhyun's hands in his before he puts them on his chest, dragging Baekhyun's palms down his body. "How about you?"

"Shitty," Baekhyun answers. "Missed you like fucking crazy, babe."

Junmyeon groans, and he throws his head back as he slides Baekhyun's hands down to his waist, down to hold at his hips. He pretends for just a half second that they are together, that this is something between lovers. He thinks that maybe he could comfort Baekhyun after a hard day at work, like he could give him a little bit of comfort, a little bit of solace. 

In reality, he is more a therapist than a stripper. People watch him take his clothes off, but more often than not, his private dances mean that men are crying on his shoulder as his ass is pressed up against their groin. Baekhyun, though... Baekhyun is different. Baekhyun never talks about himself, only ever asks about _Junmyeon_. He knows Junmyeon's real name, knows what Junmyeon wants to do with the rest of his life, knows what Junmyeon is saving up for. He knows about Junmyeon's quibbles with the rest of the dancers, knows his favorite food, knows his drink and his favorite brand of cigarettes too. 

On top of everything, he's never gotten hard, not in all the many times Junmyeon's danced for him. 

Maybe, Junmyeon has posited on many a lonely night, Baekhyun only gets off on the power and the mystery. He doesn't like thinking about it like that, but he can't see any other reason for someone so well-adjusted, someone so objectively handsome and successful-looking to come to a place like this, asking for what he asks for. 

"I missed you more," Junmyeon teases, trying to forget about the fantasy, the idea that they could be something more than this. 

"Unlikely," Baekhyun says, and his thumbs run along Junmyeon's hips. "How much can I touch you?" 

It's not an extraordinary question given the circumstances, but coming from Baekhyun, Junmyeon wants to answer extraordinarily. 

"As much as you want," he breathes, and Baekhyun smiles as his hands slip around Junmyeon's body, each hand taking a handful of ass. "F-Fuck." 

"How are your classes going?" Baekhyun asks, and he drags Junmyeon forward until they're chest against chest. "Studying hard?" 

"Can we talk about something else?" Junmyeon wonders. 

"What, you wanna talk about me?" 

"Yeah," Junmyeon whispers, and he tucks his face into the crook of Baekhyun's neck, more than a little elicit as he presses a soft, sweet kiss to the sensitive skin. "Tell me about you, baby." 

"God, you're... you are something, aren't you?" Baekhyun laughs, and Junmyeon works his hips like he's riding his cock, like they don't have at least three layers of fabric between them. "You treat all the boys like this?" 

Junmyeon puts his hands through Baekhyun's hair, messes it up like he's about to tug him into a kiss. 

"No," Junmyeon says. "And you know that." 

The first song is just beginning to reach his climax as he brings their lips close together, close but not touching. They are practically breathing each other's air, and Junmyeon is dizzy with arousal. He can feel himself beginning to get hard, the lust dripping through him now, and just as Baekhyun moans out a soft sound of pleasure, that's when Junmyeon feels it. 

With Baekhyun's hands on his ass, he brings Junmyeon down to grind against his hard cock for the very first time. 

"F-Fuck," Baekhyun whispers, and Junmyeon frantically crushes their lips together, tremulous as he grinds helplessly against Baekhyun's dick. "Fuck, what are you doing?" 

"Getting you off," Junmyeon whispers. "I want to." 

Junmyeon kisses him messily, desperately, like at any moment, it might be taken away from him. He's never done anything like this before, but he doesn't care, overwhelmed by the heat bubbling through his blood. He kisses Baekhyun hard and fast, swallows all his eager little sounds, and the power swells through him. He whimpers into Baekhyun's mouth as he pulls Baekhyun's hair, hips twitching as he works. 

But then suddenly, just as soon as it came, it is gone. 

Junmyeon is being pushed up off the couch, pushed across the room. Baekhyun holds out an arm, wiping his mouth with his other hand, and he stares at the floor like he can't believe what just happened. 

"I-I'm sorry," Junmyeon says. "I thought you—" 

"It's okay," Baekhyun says. "I just..., " and he looks down to his erection trying to tent the front of his suit pants with urgency, "I should go." 

"You have two more songs," Junmyeon says. "I can't refund you. The—" 

"Don't worry about it," Baekhyun says, and he exits the private room without another word, leaving Junmyeon standing there stupidly with a hard-on and nowhere to go. 

Junmyeon sits in the love seat, head thrown back against the plush cushion, and he lets frustrated tears fall down the sides of his face. He'll need to go back out to the main room because his shift isn't over, but he's already been paid for the songs. He cries for exactly seven minutes and twenty five seconds, and then he wipes his face. He's not gonna get all busted up over some guy. 

-

He tries to forget about Baekhyun, and for exactly one day, he does. 

On Friday night, he works a shift, and he sees Sehun in the corner. He's one of the rare bright spots in this place, someone Junmyeon can actually talk to. 

Junmyeon is about to go over and say hi, but Sehun is busy, talking to a handsome man in a suit. Junmyeon's first thought is _lucky bitch._ His second thought, once he gets a better look, is _Baekhyun_. 

Junmyeon dutifully ignores him, ignores them _both_ even as his heart shatters in his chest. He still has a job to do. He goes around the floor, looking for someone to buy, and he flirts with as many men as he can get his hands on. Junmyeon catches Sehun and Baekhyun staring on more than one occasion, and Junmyeon wears it like a badge of fucking honor. _Yeah,_ he thinks. _Take a good look. I don't need you, asshole._

When he sees Sehun take Baekhyun back to the private rooms, though, that's when he sees fucking _red_. 

-

After his shift is through, he waits for Sehun. 

When Sehun comes into the dressing room, he rolls his eyes. 

"Oh God, not you," Sehun says. 

"What the fuck were you doing with him, huh?" Junmyeon asks. "You know he only asks for me." 

"Well, bitch, he asked for me," Sehun says, and he strips out of his tank top like it's nothing, shoving his jeans down his legs. "This isn't fucking Westeros, there's no honor code between strippers. Am I supposed to turn down money just because you have a crush?" 

Sehun is a _bitch,_ but he's not normally so much of a cunt. Junmyeon says as much. 

"Look, it's been an excruciatingly long evening for me, if you would fuckin' believe it," Sehun says. "Between you, your fuckin' boyfriend, getting paid just to answer any and all of his questions, and listening to him jabber on about you, I think deserve a little bit of sympathy. And maybe a glass of wine." 

It hits Junmyeon in the heart like an ice pick. "What are you talking about?" 

"Oh, put two and two together, slut," Sehun says, and he grins at Junmyeon lewdly. "And here I thought you were supposed to be smart." 

"What did he ask?" 

"About you, about whether or not you _talked_ about him, what you _thought_ of him," Sehun says, and he steps into his sweats. "He's in love with you, idiot. What kind of guy comes for lap dances, only ever asks about you, and never gets hard until you _kiss him_?" 

"I-I thought he was getting off on—" 

"On what, girl?" Sehun asks, threading his arms through his sweatshirt. "On your sparkling wit? On your sense of humor and your knowledge of current events? News flash, you're cute, but you're not funny." 

"Listen," Junmyeon says, and Sehun pokes his head out from the hole in his sweatshirt. "I-If he said anything to you..." 

"Yeah, he said something," Sehun says, and he grabs his gym bag. "He said he's gonna be outside waiting for you at the end of your shift because he wants to ask you out, you dumb bitch." He smiles at Junmyeon, genuine and kind. "Go get your Gere." 

"He's not my _Gere_ ," Junmyeon stresses. 

Sehun walks out of the dressing room humming _Pretty Woman_ , and Junmyeon can hardly swallow over the lump in his throat. He gathers his things, dresses in his street clothes, and goes to see if Baekhyun kept his word. 

-

Junmyeon wanders out through the back of the building, and there is a black Audi parked in a spot. Junmyeon's never seen Baekhyun's car, doesn't know if it's him, so he tries not to get his hopes up. Slowly, the driver's side window rolls down, reveals Baekhyun's sheepish face. Junmyeon's mouth goes dry as he goes over, tries to look stern and angry. 

"Hi," Baekhyun says. "Are you mad?" 

"Yeah." 

"I'm sorry." 

"What for?" Junmyeon asks. 

Baekhyun leans out the window, hang dog. "Can I say everything?" 

"No," Junmyeon answers. "Be specific." 

"Sorry about Sehun," Baekhyun says. "Sorry about making you mad." 

"And?" 

"I'm sorry I ran," Baekhyun says. "Believe it or not, I pride myself on my ability to keep a cool head." 

"I felt your head," Junmyeon says. "It definitely was not cool." 

"You're kinda gross, you know that?" 

"Yeah," Junmyeon says, "I know." 

"I'm sorry," Baekhyun says. "Seriously. I didn't mean to upset you, I just... I guess, in that moment, I realized that I cared about you a lot more than I originally planned on caring about you." 

Junmyeon squeezes the handles of his bag in his fists. "Yeah?" 

"Yeah," Baekhyun says. "I like you a lot. A-And it didn't really hit me until you kissed me." 

Junmyeon's heart soars in his chest, and he blinks quickly, clearing his throat. "You shouldn't have left. I... I thought—"

"I know," Baekhyun says, and Junmyeon makes the mistake of looking at him, charmed by the embarrassed smile. "I'm sorry." 

"It's okay," Junmyeon says. He smiles at Baekhyun. "I didn't wanna be mad at you." 

"God," Baekhyun says, hand braced on the door as he looks up at Junmyeon. "You're really pretty." 

"Shut up," Junmyeon says, and he resists the near overwhelming urge to scream. 

"Sorry." 

"Why are you apologizing?" 

"Such a cliche," Baekhyun says, shaking his head. "But I can't help the way I feel. All I need to know now is whether or not you feel the same." 

"Get out of the car," Junmyeon says. 

"What?" 

"I said _get out of the car_ ," Junmyeon repeats sternly, and Baekhyun doesn't even turn the car off, just gets out, door hanging open as he walks over to Junmyeon. "Kiss me." 

"K-Kiss you here?" 

Junmyeon looks around. "Where else?" 

"I wanted to take you out," Baekhyun says. "Make this, like, legit." 

Junmyeon pulls Baekhyun into an easy kiss, Baekhyun's hands settling on the small of Junmyeon's back as Junmyeon's hands frame Baekhyun's jaw. It feels natural, feels _right,_ and when they finally part, Junmyeon swipes his thumb across Baekhyun's bottom lip, rubbing the vestiges of lip gloss away. 

"It's legit," Junmyeon says. "Can you give me a ride home?" 

"Yeah," Baekhyun says. "You have class in the morning, right? _Anatomy and Physiology_?" 

"Y-Yeah," Junmyeon says. 

"Yeah," Baekhyun smiles. "No worries." 

"A-And maybe you can pick me up after class," Junmyeon offers. "There's a Starbucks near school." 

"Cool," Baekhyun says, and he pulls his phone out of his pocket, gives it to Junmyeon. "Put in your number. You can text me." 

They get into the car after exchanging numbers, and Junmyeon sits in the passenger's seat as Baekhyun rests his hand comfortably on Junmyeon's thigh. He goes up to his building once Baekhyun's given him a kiss good night, and in the morning, everything seems just a little bit brighter. 

**Author's Note:**

> hehehe i hope you enjoyed! sort of a goofy lil one :') 
> 
> [my twitter](https://twitter.com/okamiwind) | [my curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/okamiwind)


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